Allison Brock Wins Back to Back Grand Prix Specials

Wellington, Fla. – April 2, 2016 – The past two weeks have been full of blue ribbons and victory laps for Allison Brock and Rosevelt, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Fritz and Claudine Kundrun. The pair clinched the CDI4* Grand Prix Special during Week Ten of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, and they won the CDI3* Grand Prix earlier in Week Twelve. In the scorching Florida sun, Brock continued her winning streak by topping the competitive CDI3* Grand Prix Special class with a 74.333 percent, a new personal best.

“He was very good today,” Brock said. “I was really careful in the warm-up to not over do. I wanted to touch on a few things to make sure he was reacting well and not to burn him out. I actually felt like I took more horse in today, in a way. He is producing a very consistent, clean test. He is solid. I think that counts for a lot that he goes in and hits it no matter what.”

Allison Brock and Rosevelt

While her freestyle’s choreography is being tweaked before going to Europe, Brock made the decision to enter the Grand Prix Special to prove to herself that her previous success was not a fluke.

“I am very happy with the consistency of him,” Brock explained. “Last year he was scoring over 70. He would get a little better here and there, but we knew we had to take it to another level. Then I sort of lost that when we were really going for it, and we started having mistakes. For me, the growth [of the season] has been to be able to ride with more expression and be clean.”

Lars Petersen and Mariett

Lars Petersen of Denmark placed second with a 70.529 percent on Mariett, an 18-year-old Danish Warmblood mare co-owned by Marcia Pepper and Petersen. The pair placed third in the large Grand Prix class earlier in the week. Petersen decided to ride in the Grand Prix Special instead of the Freestyle because he had not competed in a Special since the World Equestrian Games in 2014.

“It is normally a good test for her, and I am really happy with her,” Petersen said. “She has gone two days with no mistake with little gas in her tank, but today she was actually fresher than the other day.”

Lars Petersen and Mariett

Rounding out the top three was American Lisa Wilcox on Galant, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, with a 70.451 percent. Wilcox believes that the main highlight over her season has been the confidence Galant has had in the movements of the test.

“Before we had some misunderstandings, and it was a bit of a struggle between both of us trying to figure it out,” Wilcox explained. “Now he is feeling more confident in what he is doing and understanding it. I would like more than a 70, but right now we are seeing what he is capable of doing. You can only build them so fast.”

Lisa Wilcox and Galant

She hopes to qualify for the top eight for the United States to travel to Europe for the Olympic selection trials.

“If I don’t make it in the top eight, I’ll stay and train,” Wilcox said. “I have a lot of horses in the barn right now so I will train for next season. Then my goal is to apply for grants and hopefully take a handful of horses over [to Europe] next year.”

Material on this site is protected by federal copyright laws and may not be reproduced in any form unless designated as a press releaseor without prior written consent from Phelps Media Group. Contact info@phelpsmediagroup.com to request distribution rights.